So this post is completely non-stamping related, but it’s been a HUGE part of my life for the past several months and I just had to share it! So many of you have prayed for me and encouraged me as I’ve worked towards my Epic Cardiant certification. The certification process included three separate trips to Verona, WI for training; hours and hours and hours of studying; two different (and very scary) tests to take; and a project (equally scary) to build. And now I have proof! 🙂

My heartfeltthanks goes out to my family, friends, coworkers, and especially my boss, who offered unwavering support for me through this process! ❤

This altered photo frame was a wedding gift for a very dear friend. It’s very much inspired by a card I made for my daughter a few months ago found here. The frame’s opening measures 5″ x 7″ (frame found at Hobby Lobby). Congratulations Amanda and Matt! 🙂

Hey there! Welcome to the Control Freaks October blog tour! This month’s theme centers around masculine projects. If you’re following the tour, you’ve just come from the wonderfully talented Wendy Weixler’s blog. I love everything that girl does! 🙂

I must admit I was a little stumped at what kind of masculine 3-D project I could create that wouldn’t still come across as slightly feminine (I have a tendency to do that sometimes). I ended up creating a card and a matching set of four coasters made out of electrical outlet box covers. See my posts below!

PROJECT #1 – Miss You Card

I’ve had the stamp set Lovely As a Treefor probably eight of the ten years I’ve been a demonstrator — it’s one of the most VERSATILE sets I’ve ever owned! Yet despite having had this set for eight plus years, I’m a little embarrassed to admit I did not realize you could stamp the tree in black ink and then go back and color it in! 🙂 I’ve always stamped this tree in one color (usually brown or green), but I really loved the effect of stamping it in black and then going back and coloring the boughs in Lucky Limeade and the trunk in Early Espresso.

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree, Lacy & Lovely, Woodgrain

Paper: Very Vanilla, Festival of Prints DSP, Early Espresso, First Edition Specialty DSP

These coasters are made out of outlet box covers! I found the covers at Lowe’s for $1.97 each so it ended up being a very economical craft to make. I stamped the images first in Black StazOn ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and then watercolored the images with an Aqua Painter and reinker ink. I used the 2-1/2″ Circle Punch to punch the images out and then sponged Early Espresso ink around the edges. The next step is VERY IMPORTANT! In order to prevent the water-based inks from running when applying the Mod Podge, I covered each image with VersaMark ink and embossed them with Clear Embossing Powder. The Early Espresso circle was cut out using the 3″ Circle Originals Bigz Die and then I pierced the edges with the Paper Piercing Tool and Mat (freehand). I attached the watercolored images to the Early Espresso circles with regular adhesive. I used the paper insert (found in the outlet box cover pack) as a template to cut the circles out of the Festival of Prints DSP. I applied Mod Podge to one side of the metal cover and attached the Festival of Prints circle to that, attached the stamped images with regular adhesive and then covered everything with Mod Podge. The outlet pack comes with a thin, foam ring that I attached to the base of each coaster. Here are a couple of photos of the outlet box cover and the contents:

Last December, my good friend asked me to design some wedding invitation samples for her daughter who was planning a wedding for this October. I put together three samples and she ended up choosing this one:

And here’s the inside (the lettering on the inside panel looks a little off because I removed any personal information to protect the family’s privacy):

It’s a tri-fold with a pocket on the inside that holds three inserts for Directions, the Dinner Reception and the RSVP card. The invitation measures a standard 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″.

I ended up cutting and scoring 350 of these but we ended up assembling only300 ;). This was a long process — we met three different Saturdays over the course of several months to put these together. The bride loved how they turned out, but they were a lot of work! 🙂 From embossing the front panel and the pocket, to cutting out the medallions on the belly band, these were a lot of work. 🙂 Oh, and did I mention these were a lot of work? 🙂 All kidding aside, I was sohonored that they asked me to design something so important for them and was thrilled to be a part of the process! Congratulations Meghan and Adam!

My family and I just returned from a week-long cruise on the Allure of the Seas — what an absolutely FABULOUS ship! One of the things I brought with me on the trip, aside from a boat-load of clothes (pun intended ;)), was a cruise journal for my family and I to write down the highlights of our vacation. I covered a standard composition notebook with Fan Fair DSP (love, love, love that paper!) and embellished it with several stamps sets and accessories. Because we sailed on Royal Caribbean, I was able to incorporate a “crown” and “anchor” on the book. 😉